Hauk took the hand of the one he’d carried and put the dead man’s index finger against his mobile. After a few seconds, he cursed. “Not a pro team. This one is… or rather, was a mechanic.” He reached for the other man’s hand and scanned it. “This was an out-of-work programmer.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. “I think they belong to you, Princess.”

“How so?”

He handed her his mobile.

Zarya scanned the man’s file, then winced. They were both Resistance fighters. Newly recruited. She tried to use Hauk’s device to access Resistance files so that she could find out more about them and their mission, but someone had blocked her access.

So she went to the bounty sheets. Since those were public, she had no problem finding the contract out on Darling’s life. It made the one for Kere look like a joke.

“This is ridiculous.” She handed the mobile back. “Who is this Hector?” And how dare he lead her men.

Hauk slid his mobile back into his pocket. “No one can find out anything about him. And I do mean no one. We figure it’s an alias. But we can’t link it to anyone.”

Yeah and neither could she. Yet there was something about it that was niggling in the back of her mind. Something familiar.

What was it?

Before she could think of an answer, blaster fire sounded from outside, in the yard below.

Deafening alarms rang out everywhere.

I’ve got to do something to stop this. It didn’t matter who Hector was. She was still technically the Resistance leader. And this Hector knew it as well as she did. Why else continue to use her name to call their people to action?

Her mind whirled with possibilities and courses she could take. But no matter what, she kept coming back to one simple fact. If she could get the Resistance to fight with Darling against the gerents as they should, then the gerents would have no choice except to accept him as their governor.

Easier said than done. Neither side trusted Darling. Nor were they trusting her at the moment either.

But if she were to show up without Darling…

Maybe she could talk some sense into them.

She left Hauk and Fain to their cleanup while she went to her room. As she paced the floor, planning, she could hear the news from Darling’s room.

“Since the governor was pulled out by his security during the meeting”—Could they get anything right?—“the Resistance forces have been setting fires and vandalizing corporate buildings. Entire staffs are staying inside their offices like prisoners since they’re too scared to even attempt to leave while under this latest round of protests. As a result, the gerents are begging for League intervention to quell the rebel protestors and bring Governor Cruel into line. Maybe even dethrone or assassinate him.”

Her heart pounding, she tried not to hear any more. This was such a disaster.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it tonight. Darling would never agree to let her go to the Resistance alone and if she took one of his people with her, or worse, him, they would never believe she wasn’t under his influence.